Visit Your Local PBS Station PBS Home PBS Home Programs A-Z TV Schedules Watch Video Support PBS Shop PBS Search PBS
       
the Online NewsHour The Web site of the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
E-mail This Page   Print This Page  
the Online NewsHour EXTRANews for Students AND Teacher Resources MAIN: ONLINE NEWSHOUR
7 - 12 grade level
SEARCH
ALL OR STUDENT VOICES LESSON PLANS VIDEO GO
Main: NewsHour ExtraU.S.WorldScienceHealthArts/MediaStudent VoicesTeacher Center
NewsHour Teacher Center Blog
May 30, 2008
VIDEO SUMMARY: In this video report (8 min.), the NewsHour’s Jeffreyplay NewsHour video Brown explores the recent scientific achievement in which monkeys learned how to control a robotic arm and feed themselves by using only their brainpower. Brown reviews earlier unsuccessful attempts to use brain activity to directly control physical devices, an accomplishment with great potential for humans with spinal cord and other injuries. Lead scientist Andrew Schwartz explains his team’s research project, including using a joystick at one stage of the monkeys’ training and use of the same electronic sensors that are routinely implanted in human brains. Their current achievement is an important milestone in a continuing process, and Schwartz describes the challenges ahead.

SELECTED QUOTES: - from Andrew Schwartz, University of Pittsburgh

“Right now, they’re able to reach out in space, grasp a small piece of food, and bring it back to their mouth. It’s a pretty skilled, accurate movement.”
“What this device is missing is a wrist and hand and fingers. So it’s actually pretty difficult to orient the gripper to pick up the food. “
“We think that, in the next two years, we’ll be able to have human patients, a few human patients for research purposes, controlling the same type of device and probably doing much better than what these monkeys were able to do.”

WARM-UP QUESTIONS:
What is a prosthetic? Name several different types. Do you know anyone who uses a prosthetic? Name some famous people from the past or from fiction who used, or could have used, a prosthetic. Why has there been a recent increase in world-wide demand for artificial arms and legs?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
What did you already know about prosthetics, what was new? Can you explain, in your own words, how the monkey’s mind-control moves the robot arm? Why will scientists be more challenged to give “mind control” over a monkey’s robot wrist and hand than than the current robot arm(shoulder)? Do you think scientists will have solved this problem by the time you graduate from high school? How will the introduction of brain-controlled prosthetics improve the lives of people who need them? What will be the impact of this new technology on our national health care system? Will health care costs rise or fall? What is your reaction? How would you balance the use of monkeys for this research with the human need for better prosthetics?

RESOURCES:
Transcript of this report
Monkey Video Watch a Monkey Move a Robotic Arm
2003 Report and Video Robotic Limbs Offer Hope to Amputees
Science Reports: Body and Brain Related reports

Author

Comments

Post a Comment:
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you need to be approved by Brian before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
Name: (required, pseudonym ok)
Email address: (required, will not be published)
Comment:

Recent Lesson Plans
Recent Comments
Web Resources
Recently Added:
What is this?
Teacher to Teacher
Share your teaching experiences: What works, what didn't, what's needed?
What is this?
Previous EntriesTOPICS
Video Clips
What is this?
Blog Jam
National Public Radio
From Education Stories
5/2/08 updated daily
What is this?
The Online NewsHour
FRIDAY'S PROGRAM
Editor's Note
Shaky Economy
Financial Crisis in Dubai
News Wrap
Holiday Shopping
Hard Knocks
Shields and Brooks
Austin City Limits
The Online NewsHour, an hour-long daily news broadcast
Check your Local Listings